Arrived at the National Champsionships in Welland

I have arrived safely in Welland at the Canadian National Small Boat Championships. By saying small boats, I mean pairs and singles. (pairs=2 men-1 oar each single=1 man-2 oars) We won't be racing the Men's 8 here since this regatta is being used as selection criteria for athlete Olympic Camp invitations and the coaches can best assess the speed and potential of individuals when they are in small boats. This regatta also gives club rowers from across Canada a chance to race the best and see how fast they are and gauge whether they have the potential to make the team in the future. It is also good for them to see how the top in the country race and conduct themselves, it can be a good learning experience.
Why are coxswains not included you ask? Well....my job is difficult for a coach to quantify in one race, and since a lot of what I do needs to be assessed by the members of the Men's 8, my trial isn't fully completed until the Olympic Eight is selected in the spring of 2008. At the present time there is only one other cox at the training centre in Victoria. He was our Under-23 Men's 8 cox this year and is the "next" one should I ever decide to retire from the sport.....ahhhh.....I'm still young at 31....well sorta....I can cox forever!!!

Back to the small boat regatta here in Welland. The race will take place at the South Niagara Rowing Club's boathouse. (www.southniagararowingclub.com) It is located on a 4km stretch of the Old Welland Canal. We can't row out on the main canal as it is an active shipping waterway and unless we want to get into major trouble with the authorities, we just stay clear. The ships produce large waves anyway which isn't conducive to good rowing.

I'm on my way into Brampton to visit the Clark St. office today from 1:00-2:30pm. (Oct 31) Hope to meet more of the Trow family today!!